


Fly away

by DaZeli



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, M/M, Mention of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 03:46:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6454123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaZeli/pseuds/DaZeli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dex doesn't have wings and never wished to have them, but the world seems to have decided otherwise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fly away

**Author's Note:**

> A short piece I wrote for fun, I hope you guys enjoy! Huge thank you to [sadquebecois](sadquebecois.tumblr.com) for betaing this!
> 
> For those who want to know what everyone's wings look like, here's my list:  
> Jack has snowy owl wings;  
> Bitty has white-winged dove wings;  
> Shitty has bald eagle wings;  
> Ransom has cooper hawk wings;  
> Holster has northern goshawk wings;  
> Dex has baltimore oriole wings;  
> Nursey has great crested flycatcher wings;  
> Chowder has tree swallow wings;  
> Lardo has american kestrel wings;

Winged people had been around for years; they were not unheard-of, but they were still pretty rare. Apparently they had been around much earlier than normal humans, but blended in with them because of their ability to make their wings disappear.

Well, they wouldn’t disappear completely; in reality, the wings turned into huge colorful tattoos displayed on their back. That’s why nobody had any idea that winged people existed before, until one day, they decided they had enough of hiding and decided to tell humanity they existed. It sort of fucked up the world for a while, but things calmed down, and people got used to seeing other people flying around in the sky.

Wings were hereditary. One of your parents needed to have wings for you to have wings as well, and it was almost automatic; if one parent had wings, there was a 99% chance that the child would too. They usually got their wings between the ages of fourteen and sixteen. Some got them sooner, some later, but when they started getting their wings, they had to stay home for a day or two for the wings to pierce through the skin and for the pain to leave. Then they had to wait a month for them to grow out and learn to make them disappear. Getting wings was apparently a very painful process, and every single person with a pair of wing agreed to that.

Dex had never envied those with wings; in fact, he couldn’t care less if someone had wings or not. As it turned out, one of his new friends at Samwell had wings and was part of the Samwell Men’s Wing Team.

Chowder was a great friend, and one of Dex’s only friends at Samwell, so of course, Chowder was able to drag him around to his team activities. He didn’t really mind — the team was nice enough to let him watch their practice.

The team main goal was to do aerial shows and compete against other teams. Bitty wasn’t good at team shows — he could fly alone just fine, but the team routine was not his cup of tea. So, Dex would sit with Bitty more often than not, and they would talk while watching the guys practice. Sometimes the team captain, Jack, would drag Bitty along with them, so Dex would watch them alone. He didn’t mind it, and sometimes he took the occasion to do his homework.

He wasn’t supposed to be there, but Chowder had insisted. And, well, nobody could say no to him. Besides, Chowder said something about having a ‘good feeling’ about Dex being allowed at practice, although Dex himself didn’t really get it.

Even if most people on the team were cool with him, there was one guy who he simply couldn’t stand: Derek Nurse. The guy always got on his nerves and really, he wished he could have lived his life without meeting this asshole. This beautiful asshole that he simply couldn’t get out of his head. He bothered Dex in all kinds of ways, and Dex couldn’t help but explode at him all the time.

Sadly, he was also close to Chowder, so more often than not they had to spend time together. They spent most of their time arguing over silly things, as if it was their only way of communicating with each other. They did try to avoid the other, but it was apparently impossible. They learned to live with the other, though, whether they liked it or not. By the end of their first semester, they were actually able to be civil around each other, and they could risk calling themselves friends.

At the beginning of their spring semester, everything was pretty much the same; Dex would show up with Chowder to practice and hang out with the gang. At some point he stopped going because of back pains. Everything in Dex’s body hurt, and he had no idea why. He didn’t want to go to a doctor; it was too expensive, and it would probably go away after a few days.

But days turned into weeks, and Dex still felt strong pain in his back. In fact, it only got worse. He felt like something was constantly poking at his back, and it hurt like hell — so much that he had to miss his programming class with Chowder. Of course, Chowder came to check on him.

“Dex? You weren’t in class today, and I was wondering why,” Chowder asked as he entered his dorm room.

“Hey, Chow. It’s nothing. My back just hurts like hell, so I had to stay in,” Dex replied.

“Your back still hurts? I’m not sure that’s normal…” Chowder said.

“I have no idea why it hurts, but it does. It’s painful and uncomfortable, and it’s only getting worse — like something’s constantly poking me,” Dex told him.

“Hmm, can I take a look? I’m not a specialist, but maybe I’ll be able to see something,” Chowder asked.

“Sure,” Dex shrugged, lifting his shirt.

Chowder looked at Dex’s back for a minute, and he was unusually quiet. When he was done looking, he pulled down Dex’s shirt.

“I’m not a 100% sure, but I really think we should go see Bitty. If it is what I think it is, you’re going to much prefer being at the Haus than alone in here,” Chowder said.

Dex couldn’t help but notice how serious Chowder sounded, so he nodded, packed his school stuff, and headed to the Haus with him. Half way, he had to remove his backpack and hunch over in pain. It felt like someone had stabbed him in the back, and it wasn’t a good feeling. Chowder took his bag, and they hurried to the Haus. Dex had no idea what Chowder had in mind, but he really hoped Bitty could help.

When they arrived, they immediately headed to the kitchen. Chowder explained the situation to Bitty, who then asked to see Dex’s back. Dex lifted his shirt, and he heard them gasp.

“What is it?” Dex asked.

“Dex, go lay down on the couch immediately. Chowder, put a cover on the couch and stay with him while I gather the stuff. Take off your shirt, Dex. You don’t want to have it on for what’s happening,” Bitty said before hurrying off.

They did as they were instructed, but Dex still had no idea what was happening and was panicking a little now. He did what Bitty told him to do, because he trusted him, but he was a little afraid of what was coming. Just as he was laying down, a huge wave of pain washed over him, and he almost wanted to scream. Chowder made sure he was comfortable, and Bitty came back with a bucket of water, cloths, and sponges.

“Can one of you at least tell me what’s happening?” Dex asked.

“You’re getting your wings!” Chowder said, a little more excited than he had been previously.

“My what!?” Dex said in surprise.

“What’s going on?” Nursey asked as he entered the living room.

“Dex is getting his wings!” Chowder repeated.

“This late? Wow, that was unexpected,” Nursey said, sounding a little surprised.

“No shit! I didn’t even know I was going to get wings,” Dex replied sharply, rolling his eyes.

“How did you not know? Usually you know that stuff, because y’know, it’s hereditary,” Nursey said.

“That’s why I thought I wasn’t going to get them, because nobody in my family has wings!” Dex exclaimed before biting back a cry of pain.

“Alright, no more talking. His wings are coming out, and Nursey, if you don’t want to help, do not stay here please,” Bitty said, serious.

Dex was sure Nursey was going to leave, but instead he got closer to the couch, and Dex could feel his eyes on him.

“Nah Bits, I’ll help. Just tell me what to do,” he said.

“Alright, I want you and Chowder to clean the blood, his wings are piercing through his skin and the last thing we need his blood everywhere, and Dex, please try to stay calm,” Bitty said, “I’ll go clean his shirt — it’s already pretty bloody — and I’ll make comfort pie for once this is over. Call me if there’s anything abnormal,” he finished.

Bitty left, and Nursey took his place. Dex didn’t say a word, too focused on the unbearable pain coming from his back. He could feel his wings piercing through his skin, and it felt like hell. Nursey and Chowder cleaned the blood that was spurting out of the cuts from time to time. The pain grew in intensity, and Dex muffled his cries of pain by biting the pillow. That’s when he felt Nursey’s hand on his back, rubbing the skin in the middle of his back in a soothing way.

“You’re doing great, Dex. Just keep breathing,” Nursey told him.

Nursey kept rubbing, helping him breathe. Dex was able to calm down for a while until the pain hit him again, even stronger than before. He felt Nursey wash the blood away with the cold, wet sponge.

“Almost there,” he told him.

It went on for a least an hour. In the meantime, Ransom and Holster had came home and went to get clothes with wing holes to lend Dex. Jack simply encouraged him and got them a new bucket of water before disappearing. Shitty told him that this was amazing and that Chowder was a genius.

After a final wave of pain, Dex’s wings finally made it out, leaving Dex panting and relieved. They may have been tiny baby wings, but that didn’t change from the fact they had felt like two sharp knives slicing his back.

“There you go. Chowder, how about you go tell Bitty? I’ll clean the blood from his wings while he rests,” Nursey said.

Dex heard Chowder leave, and he felt Nursey carefully clean his back and his wings with the cloth, using the bucket of clean water Jack had gotten for them. Dex remained silent, too tired to say anything. Nursey didn’t say a word either, focusing on cleaning the tiny wings. Nursey’s hands were so soft and soothing on his back that Dex felt himself relax and eventually fell asleep.

Dex woke up much later. His back was sore, but at least the throbbing pain was gone. He was wearing one of the shirts Ransom and Holster lent him, but he didn’t remember putting it on. He slowly got up and made his way to the kitchen, where Bitty greeted him and gave him pie. Chowder was there, and he looked so excited, like he was the one who just got wings out of nowhere. Dex on the other hand, did not look very happy about his situation.

“Feeling better?” Nursey asked him.

“Yeah, thanks,” Dex replied.

“It’s so cool! You’re gonna be able to fly with us!” Chowder said, molting with excitement.

“We’ll see once his wings are fully grown, eh,” Jack said as he entered the kitchen.

He was quickly followed by the others, who congratulated him on getting his wings, telling him that once he was able to fly, he could join the team. Dex didn’t show much enthusiasm at the idea but didn’t say anything against it. The reason was that he didn’t know why he had wings. He didn’t mind it, but he didn’t know where they came from. Nobody in his family had wings. He would’ve known otherwise, and yet he had wings. So Dex ate his pie quietly before heading back to his dorm. He called his mom that night and told her what happened: that now he apparently had wings.

“Oh honey, I have to tell you something, too. I really hoped I wouldn’t have to, but I guess now I have no choice,” she told him.

“I’m listening,” Dex said.

“Your father… he isn’t your real father. I was already pregnant with you when we first met. Your real father, he’s the one who has wings,” she said.

“What… What happened to him?” Dex asked.

“He disappeared in the wilderness, I guess. I have no idea. I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she said to him, sounding apologetic.

“Alright, thanks mom,” Dex said.

Once he hung up, Dex stared at the ceiling, thinking about what his mom had just told him. His dad wasn’t his real dad, and his real dad did have wings, hence why Dex did. He couldn’t push that news away; he felt sad, because even if he knew his family loved him deeply, he was only related to them by his mom, and he had been an accident. He had always felt off in the family portraits, and now he knew why; he wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place.

He went to bed early, feeling too down to do anything.

-*-

Ever since Dex had gotten his wings, Nursey couldn’t help but notice how down Dex looked. If there was one thing that Nursey knew, it was that this wasn’t the usual reaction people had when they got wings. Chowder noticed that, too. He tried to bring Dex to practice even if he couldn’t fly yet, but Dex refused, preferring to stay alone. Nursey also noticed how Dex would always keep his wings closed. Usually people tried their wings out, practicing making them move so it’d be easier to use them later, but Dex didn’t. He kept his wings closed and acted as if he didn’t even have them.

Nursey was sure something was wrong, and he wanted to know what made Dex look so sad all the time. One day, when he went over to Dex’s dorm to study, he tried to find out. Dex was sitting on his bed, looking as sad as ever, and Nursey was sitting on the desk chair, looking at him.

“You know, you should expand your wings once in awhile. They’re muscles; you need to train them before you can fly,” Nursey told him.

“What if I don’t want to fly?” Dex replied.

“Why wouldn’t you want to fly?” Nursey asked back.

“Because I’m not supposed to. People in my family don’t have wings. I didn’t want wings in the first place. Why can’t I just be like them?” Dex said, looking at the ground.

“I don’t know, but you can’t be the only one with wings in your family. It has to come from somewhere,” Nursey said.

“Yeah, I know where it comes from, and I want no part of it,” Dex replied.

“Why not?” Nursey asked.

“Because it was a mistake. I am a mistake,” Dex replied, hiding his face because he felt tears coming up.

“Wait, what?”

“I told my mom about the wings, and she told me that my dad… He’s not my dad. My real father, he’s the one with the wings. I’m an accident from a one-night stand. I’m not even supposed to exist,” Dex replied, voice heavy with tears.

Nursey’s heart broke a little at that. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how Dex was feeling at the moment. He got up from the desk chair, went to sit next to Dex, and he hugged him. They didn’t usually do hugs, because it was more Chowder’s thing, but right now, Nursey could tell Dex needed it. He let Dex cry his heart out, and when he was done, Nursey broke the silence.

“You know, the team is like a family where nobody is related. Even if you’re not part of it yet, everyone already likes you and want you to join. Besides, I am sure your family loves you, even if you’re not fully related to them. You guys still grew up together; that means a lot more than just sharing the same blood,” Nursey told him.

“I… I guess you’re right,” Dex said. “I’m sorry.”

“Dude, don’t apologise. How about we spread your wings now? I can tell they’re begging for some action, and everyone’s wondering what they look like,” Nursey said.

Dex nodded in agreement, and Nursey helped him slowly expand his wings to their current full width. They were much bigger than when they came out, but they hadn’t reached their full size yet. Nursey taught him how to move them and flap them before telling him a few tips about wing care. While he was teaching Dex how to use his wings, he also took the time to look at their pattern; they had bright orange feathers at the base and the rest of them was covered in black feathers with some white spots. They were very bold and contrasting colors, and Nursey couldn’t help but think they fit Dex well.

It took another few weeks for Dex’s wings to grow to their full size, and Nursey taught him how to make them disappear, so he could use his normal t-shirts. Nursey did give him a few holed shirt that he thought looked adorable on Dex, but he also understood that Dex didn’t like to show off his new wings. Once that was taken care of, they needed to teach Dex how to fly. Chowder tried, but he was too excited, and Bitty forbade the others to even try, fearing they would throw him from the roof and tell him to fly.

Nursey decided to teach Dex how to fly; it was a very long and hard process, but eventually, Dex succeeded and was able to fly. Nursey would stay nearby to make sure he was safe, before letting Dex fly to his heart’s content. It turned out that Dex enjoyed flying a lot, and Nursey couldn’t help but smile when he saw how happy Dex was. Chowder soon joined Dex, flying with him and trying to teach him tricks and techniques while babbling excitedly.

Dex wasn’t used to flying enough to actually be able to perform, but he quickly got the hang of it and started trying the easiest tricks with Chowder while Nursey was watching from afar. He thought it was sweet how happy Dex was to fly with Chowder, and when Dex had to take a break, Nursey joined them.

Over the next month, after Dex learned how to fly, everyone started to include Dex in the practices, showing him different things and teaching him the routines. Dex was a very quick learner. Soon enough, he was fully capable of following the team around and doing the routines with them. That’s when Jack officially made him part of the team, and they threw a party to celebrate.

During the party, Dex disappeared. The others put Nursey in charge of finding him so they could get him to do a kegstand. However, when Nursey found Dex on the roof, instead of bringing him back down, he sat down next to him.

“You were right,” Dex told him, smiling.

“About what?” Nursey asked.

“The team really does feel like a family. It’s really nice hanging out with everyone,” Dex told him.

“Told you so,” Nursey chuckled. “By the way, they sent me to bring you back down.”

“I’m not in the mood to get drunk,” Dex replied.

“Thought so. Wanna go fly?” Nursey asked.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Dex smiled, getting up.

They flew away from the Haus, chasing each other in the moonlight, smiling, laughing, and giggling. When Nursey caught Dex, capturing him in his arms and suddenly everything felt as if time had stopped. Nursey could feel himself blush and could see Dex blush as well at their sudden proximity. A moment passed until Nursey decided to be bold and kiss Dex.

Dex kissed him back, and they landed on top of one of the school buildings. They looked at each other for a moment before kissing again, slowly and softly this time around. They made out on the roof until they started to get carried away and Nursey thought they would need a more private place.

“Want me to show you my nest?” he joked, hinting at the fact they needed to go to someone’s room.

“Yeah, and it better be a really great fucking nest.” Dex smirked at him.

With that, they flew back to land and headed to Nursey’s dorm.

-*-

They started dating right after that night. From then, they spent a lot of time flying together. They didn’t tell anyone they were together, Dex not feeling ready to tell anyone yet. However, one day they were flying together and unconsciously began a lovers’ flight, which was a type of sky dance meant for lovers. That’s when the whole team got their clue.

“Well, well, well. Would you look at that!” Holster said once they landed.

“Talk about lovebirds,” Ransom added, smirking.

“Guys! You did a full lovers’ flight! Does it mean what I think it means?” Chowder asked excitedly.

Nursey could feel Dex blush beside him and shy away, but he passed an arm around his waist. He smiled at the others before looking at Dex, who was a blushing mess, and kissing him in front of everyone to confirm their thought.

“‘Swasome!” Chowder said.

“I knew it! I fucking knew it! Holster, tell them I knew it!” Ransom exclaimed.

“Yep, Ransom knew it,” Holster said, chuckling.

“Brahs, that’s fucking great,” Shitty said.

“Ditto,” Lardo added.

“Goodness me! We need to celebrate this! How about some pie?” Bitty said.

“Hell yeah!” everyone replied as Jack nodded approvingly.

They headed back to the Haus, and Dex couldn’t help but smile. He had found his winged family, and he wouldn’t have it any other way, wings or not. Dex had never felt this happy.


End file.
